Die for upsetting metal bars



(No Model.) I

W. R. WEBSTER.

DIE FOR UPSBTTING METAL BARS. No. 380,413. Patented Apr. 3, 1888.

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WITNESSES: INVE NTOR.

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\VILLIAM R. IVEBSTER, OF ATHENS, PENNSYLVANIA.

DIE FOR UPSETTING METAL BARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,413, dated AprilS,1888.

Application filed Se; tember 25, 1884. Serial No. 143,995. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WIL IAM R. WEnsTnR,

- a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Athens, Bradfordcounty, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Diesfor Swaging Metal Bars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the spreading and thickening of the ends ofmetal bars in the process of converting them into what are known aseye-bars for bridges and the like.

Prior to my invention eye-bars were formed from flat rectangular bars bymethods which, while differinginsome details, may be grouped as follows:First, by upsetting the heated end of a bar in a die of the requiredshape and while it was clamped between plain die-faces; second, bypiling the end to be formed into an eye and then swaging the thickenedend into shape; third, by upsetting the end of the bar in dies in whichthe sides, faces, or both the sides and faces were made to yield or moveoutward, so as to permit the bar to spread or spread and thicken withoutat any time leaving room enough for any considerable bending orbuckling; fourth, by upsetting the end, so as to thicken it, thenupsetting the thickened end in spreading-dies, and then forging down thespread and thickened end to the required shape and thickness informing-dies. The necessity of the two upsetting operations in thelast-mentioned method arose from the diificulty found in preventing thebars from folding and buckling, the only method practiced for preventingthis being to so form the dies that they would engage the corners oredges of the bars and thus support them longitudinally while beingupset-a plan suffr ciently effective when thickening the ends, but notpracticable where any considerable spreading was required. The spreadingof the eye in this method was accomplished by the same means as in thefirst, but the preliminary thickening diminished the tendency to buckleor fold between the flat die-faces. Another distort and engage the metalof the bar along the center or medial line of its fiat side or sides,the tendency to buckle is entirely overcome and the metal will expandevenly on both sides of its line of engagement with the diefaces whenupset by pressure in the line of its length and of its said engagement;and l have also discovered that a very slight engagement along themedial line of the bar is sufficient to entirely overcome the tendencyto buckle, and that by forming the die-faces between which the bar endis clamped so that they, or one of them, will engage the metal ofstruction of dies to be used for spreading the ends of QYGbZllS, and mypresent invention therefore consists, first, in a spreading-die having alongitudinal projecting rib extending along one of its faces, so as todistort and engage the metal of the bar to be upset along the center ofone of its flat sides; second, in the use of the projecting rib on onedie-face, as above described, together with a corresponding groove ordepression along the center of the opposite (lieface; and, third, in soforming the die-faces that while the center of the bar to be upset willbe engaged by the longitudinal projection aforesaid,and thus prevent itfrom buckling, the distance between the upper and lower diel'aces willbe greater either in whole or in part than the thickness of the flatbar, and thereby afford room for the thickening of the bar during theoperation of spread ing itinto an eye.

Reference being now had to the drawings which illustrate my invention,Figure l is an end elevation of a die embodying my invention andconstructed in accordance with my preferred mode. the upper part of saiddie; Fig. 3, a side elevation of said upper part; Fig. i, a plan view ofthe lower die. Fig. 5 is an end elevation ofa modified form of dieembodying my inven- Fig. 2 is an end elevation of too other pressure.

tion; Fig. 6, an end elevation of a metal bar as it appears after beingindented in the die shown in Fig. l, and Fig. 7 an end elevation of abar as it appears after it has been indented in the die shown in Fig. 5.

A is the upper die; B, the lower die; 0, the bar to be spread or spreadand thickened in such dies.

1 and 2 are the spaces left on each side of the bar, into which themetal is forced in the process of spreading it into an eye. Along theface of one of the dies, which together make up the spreading die, Iform a longitudi nal projection, (indicated by the letter a,) andpreferably beveled off, as shown, and in my preferred construction ofthe spreading-die I form in the opposite die-face a correspondinglongitudinal depression, such as is indicated by the letter bin thedrawings. This depression, however, is not essential, and the onedie-face being provided with a longitudinal projection the other one maybe left fiat, as is shown in Fig. 5, or may be made with a projectionlike the other die.

The bar 0, the end of which is to be spread into an eye, is heated tothe proper temperature and placed in proper position upon the lower die,as is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. The .upper part of the die isthen brought into ,proper position upon the bar, which is, of course,clamped securely to prevent its slipping in the dies. Any of thewellknown means of so clamping the bar may be employed. The end of thebar clamped between the two die-faces is then forced back by means of aplunger operated by hydraulic or The projection a, which lies along thecenter of the heated end of the bar when it is clamped between the twodie-faces, readily indents itself into the surface of the bar andprevents it from buckling under the pressure of the plunger, while atthe same time it permits the metal to flow freely in lines parallel toand away from the longitudinal axis along which the metal of the bar isengaged with the projection. In this way the buckling of the bar or itsbending as a whole away from the center line of the dies is prevented,and an equahdistribution of metal on each side of the longitudinal axisis insured.

My reason for preferring to use a projection on one die-face inconnection with a depression in the other die-face is the very obviousone that in this device there is no variance in the thickness of themetal after it has been spread, the metal being rather distorted thanindented and being readily brought back to a flat form.

It is very desirable in most cases that the bar should be thickened aswell as spread in the process of forming an eye upon it, and thisthickening is provided for in the manner shown in the drawings-that is,by so forming the die-faces that they will support the bar between themwithout coming in contact with it throughout the breadth of its sides,it being sufficient to prevent buckling that the longitudinal projectionalone should be in contact with the bar on one side and that such barshould be supported on the other side. The upsetting of the metal willcause the projection and the depression where'it is used to take a firmhold on the bar, and the metal will thus flow upward, or upward anddownward, as well as outward on each side of the center of the bar. Withdies such as are shown in Fig. 1 the metal is or may bejuniformly'thickened, while in dies of the character shown in Fig. 5 the metal isthickened only on each side of the center of the bar.

As shown in the drawings, the projection a and depression I) areboth'formed with broad flaring sides meeting in the center line of saiddies. It is not necessary that either the projection or depressionshould be as broad with respect to the bar as they are shown, and on theother hand they may be made broader than the bar without in any waydeparting from my invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters of rectangular bars, a die-face for supporting oneside of the bar to be spread, in combination with a die-face havingoutwardly projecting and converging sides meeting along the center lineof said die-face for supporting the bar on the other side along itsmedial line, while permitting it to spread and thicken on each side ofsaid line while being upset.

3. In a spreadingdie for shaping the ends of rectangular bars, adie-face for supporting one side of the heated end of the bar, having acentral longitudinal depression, in combination with a die-face forsupporting the opposite side of said end, having a central longitudinalprojection, said depression and projection being arranged to coact indistorting the bar along its medial line.

4. In a spreading-die for shaping the ends of rectangular bars, adie-face for supporting one side of the heated end of the bar, having abroad central longitudinal depression of uniform cross-section, incombination with a dieface for supporting the other side of said heatedend, having a broad central longitudinal projection of uniformcross-section, whereby the bar is prevented from buckling duringupsetting, while it is free to expand on each side of its medial lineand to thicken simultaneously to any desired extent.

WILLIAM R. WEBSTER.

Witnesses:

CHAS. A. BUTTER, CHARLES A. MAHONY.

IIO

